NY - “Bathroom Cops” Arresting Men in Public Bathrooms After “Shaking Off” When Done Urinating

Original Article

10/09/2014

By John Vibes

A string of recent complaints filed by alleged victims of wrongful arrest are bringing question to NYPD practices of arresting men in public restrooms. There are currently undercover cops posted up in public restrooms across New York City, waiting to catch “sexual predators” in the act.

However, according to dozens of alleged victims, average men are becoming entrapped by these undercover agents, when they have done nothing wrong. Many of the victims have claimed that after urinating, “shaking off” and zipping up their pants, they were accused of “simulating masturbation” in view of the police officer.

The New York Times recently reported that police have been standing in public restrooms and staring down everyone who passes through, while they use the urinals. If the person makes any movements that the officer does not approve of, they can be arrested for “lewdness” with no evidence aside from the testimony of the officer. Since police have been stationed in public bathrooms, lewdness arrests have increased 7-fold. In the past year alone, over 60 people were arrested in one bus terminal restroom, many of them for alleged “lewdness” in the bathroom stall.

Dozens of the people who have been arrested in this trap have sought legal representation from The Legal Aid Society and other independent sources. Many of these people reported that the police made them feel uncomfortable by staring at them while they used the restroom, and it seems that if anyone is guilty of lewdness it was actually the undercover officer.

It is not clear why undercover agents have been placed in these bathrooms to begin with, even Capt. John Fitzpatrick, the Port Authority police commander who oversees the bus terminal, admits that complaints of lewdness in public bathrooms are “few and far in between”.

Although, Fitzpatrick is still standing by the actions of his officers, claiming that the dozens of men who have now filed complaints were in fact being lewd in the restroom, otherwise, he says, they would not have been arrested.

“They are not sidling up to somebody, trying to sneak a peek and misrepresenting what the person is doing, there is no mistaking their behavior,” he said.

One man, accused of “simulating masturbation” says that he was simply “shaking off”, a near instinctual act that is not at all lewd or uncommon.

“I wasn’t committing a lewd act, I was peeing in the beginning, but I was shaking off when the guy stepped back and looked at me,” Mr. Holden, a 28-year-old baker, said of his police encounter.

After Holden walked out of the bathroom he was arrested by police and taken to jail. When Holden was being processed in the jail he overheard one of the other cops refer to his arresting officer as “the gay whisperer”. This was a fairly offensive comment for Holden, consider the fact that he is a gay man, and feels that may be the reason why he got arrested.

“I wore a leather jacket, fitted clothes. I guess that fits the description of a homosexual male, I was like, O.K., although I’m gay, I wasn’t doing anything,” he said.

Holden’s story is just one of dozens, and although there may be a few perverts in the bunch, it is safe to say that a vast majority of these people are innocent.

Who's Lying, Who's Self-Justifying? Origins of the He Said/She Said Gap in Sexual Allegations

Video Description:
The Woody Allen sex scandal of 2013 triggered a national conversation on who to believe, with people lining up on each side as if they knew what really happened. Based on recent research on how people navigate the often tricky waters of sexual negotiation, Dr. Carol Tavris shows that it is entirely possible in some sexual assault cases neither side is lying, but instead both sides feel justified in their positions. This talk was considered one of the best ever given at The Amazing Meeting.

FL - Florida cop (Javier Perez) doesn’t like being filmed, has activist falsely detained for public masturbation

Javier Perez

Original Article

06/04/2014

By David Edwards

A Florida activist has said that he discovered that he was framed for public masturbation by one officer who did not like the idea of police being recorded on video.

In a video posted to his YouTube channel late last week (Below), Cop Block Central Florida activist Michael Burns explains that he was watching Lakeland police officer Javier Perez as he worked an off-duty shift at Hookah Palace in January.

During the filming, an on-duty police officer arrives, and tells him that he has been reported for doing something in his vehicle that he “should be doing in private.” That officer releases Burns after quickly concluding that he was only recording police.

Burns later obtained an audio recording of the person who reported him, who tells the dispatcher that he thinks a “suspicious person” is “masturbating.” He also obtains the telephone number of the caller. An Internet search determined that the number belonged to officer Perez.

“I did a Spokeo search and it came back to a Javier Perez,” Burns told the Photography Is Not A Crime Blog.

Perez’s sergeant also confirmed to Burns on camera that an officer was being investigated for making false reports, but he refused to give the officer’s name.

Photography Is Not A Crime’s Carlos Miller, however, doubted that an internal investigation would result in justice.

“But we already know that when cops investigate cops, it usually leads to cops protecting cops,” he wrote. “But since it’s already been confirmed the calls were made to the department’s non-emergency line, we can already see where they are going with this; essentially preparing to sweep this under the carpet by informing Burns that no law or policy was broken because the calls were not made to 911.”

Burns pointed out that Florida Statute 817.49 does not limit false reports to the 911 emergency line.

Burns was scheduled to meet with the sergeant who was conducting the internal investigation on Tuesday night, and he planned to record the meeting.

MA - Woman (Gabrielle Caughey) Charged with Making False Sexual Assault Claim

Gabrielle Caughey

Original Article

02/03/2014

By Marc Fortier

A Massachusetts woman is facing charges that she lied to police about being sexually assaulted.

Gabrielle Caughey, 21, of Mendon, MA is charged with two counts of theft by unauthorized taking and one count of false report to law enforcement. She was released on $5,000 personal recognizance bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in Merrimack District Court on Feb. 25.

According to Merrimack Police, Caughey was arrested on Friday on a warrant stemming from an incident that was reported on Oct. 28, 2013. Caughey was a suspect in a theft from a residence. Upon investigating the allegations, it was found that the items in question were pawned at nearby pawn shops by Caughey.

Also during the investigation, Caughey claimed that she was sexually assaulted by a male subject. After further investigation, it was found that her allegations were false.

A warrant was later completed for Caughey's arrest and she surrendered herself to police without incident.

UK - Renewed bid to make it difficult for those wrongfully convicted to claim compensation

Theresa May

Original Article

So they want to falsely convict you and lock you up, but when someone proves you did not do the crime they don't want you going after them? So if your ex falsely accuses you of sexual abuse or anything else, your reputation is ruined!

02/03/2014

By Mark Hennessy

The British government will this week make a renewed bid to pass legislation that would make it nearly impossible for those wrongfully convicted of crimes to claim compensation after they have been released.

The clause was included in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, which was easily passed last year in the House of Commons but rejected by the House of Lords last month.

Under existing law in England and Wales, an individual can win compensation if new evidence is presented that shows “beyond reasonable doubt that there has been a miscarriage of justice”.

Home secretary Theresa May wants a stricter test whereby compensation would be paid only “if the new or newly discovered fact shows beyond reasonable doubt that the person was innocent of the offence”.
- Aren't you suppose to also convict someone based on facts beyond a reasonable doubt?

Despite MPs’ backing for her plans, the House of Lords voted for an amendment to ensure compensation is paid where it becomes clear the evidence is “so undermined that no conviction should be based on it”.

Tomorrow, the legislation returns to the House of Commons to consider the changes made by the Lords – where the home secretary will have the numbers to overturn the peers’ changes, unless Liberal Democrat MPs revolt.

Last year, one member of the Birmingham Six, Billy Power, who was wrongfully convicted of bombings in the 1970s, said Mrs May’s plans mean that “the standard presumption of innocence would be abolished” in English law.

“Introducing new legislation that makes it impossible for a person wrongfully convicted to pursue compensation leaves that person open to the unchallengeable impugning of their character by the media and others,” he said then.

Following their release, the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four successfully sued a number of British newspapers for claiming their innocence had not been proved.

That will not be possible in future if the home secretary’s plans succeed.

In its Philips ruling, the Supreme Court in London decreed compensation will only be paid in cases where new evidence emerges that is so significant no conviction could safely be based upon it.

Helena Kennedy, who represented the Guildford Four, said the demand that those released should have to go further and prove their innocence beyond reasonable doubt is an affront to the system of law.

“It flies in the face of one of our key legal principles, which acknowledges that it is very difficult for people to prove their innocence. It is very difficult for people to prove they are innocent beyond reasonable doubt,” she said.

“Prove that you didn’t leave a bomb in the pub, or prove that you didn’t set that fire. In a few cases, DNA can prove innocence, and in a few an alibi can be bullet-proof, but I assure you that those cases are rare.”

SD - We must not be silent - The Yankton Four

Case Info:
IMAGINE YOU ARE arrested on lies like a witch in the dark ages. Nothing you say or do makes any difference to the Verdict... GUILTY

Imagine your children being abducted, starved, tortured and interrogated against you. Imagine prison for 33 years INNOCENT.

AND NOW you could be free BUT you have NO MONEY to pay for a decent attorney to represent your case. Please help with a donation no matter how small so I can FIGHT FOR JUSTICE!! "We just want what is right. We never had a real trial-just a witch hunt trial full of racism and no shred of evidence. Our children stolen and used against us. I want my life back. I want my heart to heal. I want to taste life again. Thank you!"

See Also:

• More info on The Yankton Four case

UK - Lincolnshire false rape claims highest in UK

Original Article

01/31/2014

The number of false rape claims made to police in Lincolnshire is higher than anywhere else in England and Wales.

New figures for the 12 months up to March 2013 show that 33 per cent of all alleged rapes against adults in Lincolnshire were later dismissed.

The report, released by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary on behalf of the Rape Monitoring Group, shows that across England and Wales the number of recorded rapes of both adults and children has steadily increased since March 2008.

There were approximately 6,000 recorded rapes of children and approximately 10,000 recorded rapes of adults in England and Wales during the 12 month period.

Lincolnshire Police received 110 reports of rape against adults, of which 36 were later declared as “no crimes”.

The force also received 98 allegations of child rape, with 19 per cent of these being declassified after investigations.

Detective Superintendent Rick Hatton, of Lincolnshire Police, said: “In Lincolnshire we are committed to investigating reports of rape and other sexual offences in thorough meticulous manner.”

“We have a specialist unit known as our ‘Emerald Team’ made up of highly trained and motivated officers and staff.”

“Thanks to the hard work put in by our partners and our own staff in the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) we are ranked number one in the country in terms of the services we commit to victim support.”

“This ‘no crime’ rate reflects our ethical recording of crime. It shows that we investigate all allegations of rape.”

“Lincolnshire Police record reported offences as early as we can. This demonstrates transparency in our investigations.”

“If it is decided that the offence has not been committed an in depth report must be submitted. This must detail all the information and evidence which verifies and supports the conclusion that the offence did not happen.”

“The report is ultimately submitted to crime management bureau supervisors trained in NCRS compliance.”

“We cannot entirely explain why the percentage of rape ‘no crimes’ in Lincolnshire is higher than in other areas but we are affected by the relatively low level of such crimes in Lincolnshire.”

“This means that small variations in numbers can make large differences in percentage terms.”
- So are you arresting the people who are making these false claims and putting them in jail / prison?

Chair of the Rape Monitoring Group, Dru Sharpling, said: “Rape is one of the most serious violent crimes and the impact on victims can be devastating.”

“It is absolutely crucial that the police and wider criminal justice system has all of the information available to ensure that victims are being believed and the police are following through investigations.”

“We will be seeking to improve on these data sets and will publish information at regular intervals to encourage and maintain performance improvements across England and Wales.”

MD - How Kirk Bloodsworth, wrongfully convicted for a crime he didn't commit, escaped death row

Original Article

01/29/2014

Kirk Bloodsworth spent two years on death row and lost a decade of his life after being wrongfully convicted and jailed for a crime he didn't commit.

The former US marine had, in just eight months, gone from an average citizen with a job and new wife to being found guilty of the brutal rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl and sentenced to death.

Despite having an alibi and not matching the police sketch issued at the time, prosecutors were determined to prove he was the man who had taken the life of an innocent girl.

Dawn Hamilton was found naked from the waist down in woodland near her Maryland home in 1984 in a crime which shocked America. She had been raped, beaten and killed.

"Witnesses described someone tall, with curly hair, a bushy moustache and tanned skin," Mr Bloodsworth said.

"I had hair as red as an apple and couldn't tan."

He remembers the shock he felt when he was arrested and how he turned around to look for someone else when police said "that's him" as he was put in handcuffs.

He also remembers the anger and disbelief he found after he was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to death in Baltimore County, Maryland, the following year.

It would take almost 10 years and DNA evidence to secure his innocence and freedom.

But it wasn't until 2003 that the taunts of being a child killer finally stopped and the real offender was charged with the crime.

Speaking exclusively to news.com.au from his Maryland home, Mr Bloodsworth said he can still hear the prison doors shut if he thinks hard enough and gets chills whenever he hears metal keys jiggle.

He said he tries to put it into words what he felt when he was told he was going to die, and just can't describe it.

"I guess it's like a doctor telling you you're going to die from cancer and nine years later saying 'sorry we've made a bad mistake'," he said.

The real green mile

Read the rest of the article

Website

NY - Sixteen, naïve and wrongfully convicted

Jeffrey Deskovic

Original Article

01/28/2014

Criminal justice advocate and exoneree Jeffrey Deskovic spoke at St. Thomas last week

In 1989, in Peekskill, New York, 16-year-old Jeffrey Deskovic was walking to school when he was stopped by a police car. He was wanted for questioning in the case of his raped and murdered classmate, 15-year-old Angela Correa. While his other classmates were in school mourning the girl’s loss, Deskovic sat in a small room for seven and a half hours. He had no food, no access to relatives and no attorney present. The police attached him to a polygraph machine with one goal in mind—to get Deskovic to confess to the murder by the end of the interrogation, regardless of his innocence. After feeding him copious amounts of caffeine to raise his pulse, playing good cop bad cop and using every scare tactic in the book, Deskovic was in a fetal position on the floor. If he confessed, they told him, he’d be set free and get to go home to his mother and grandmother.

“Being young, naïve, frightened, 16-years-old, not thinking about the long term implications, I took up their offer,” Deskovic told an overflowing auditorium at St. Thomas University last Tuesday night.

It wasn’t until 2006, after serving 16 years in prison, Deskovic was finally set free.

Since his release, he has been an integral part of successfully resisting the restoration of capital punishment in New York, delivered over 100 speeches across the United States and obtained his master’s degree in criminology.

Most recently, he founded the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, which seeks legislative changes to prevent wrongful convictions, works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted and helps exonerees in their reintegration into society.

“What is it that can be learned about the causes of wrongful conviction and the reforms?” Deskovic asked the audience full of criminology students. “What is it that my case illustrates?”

Read the rest of the article

UK - Woman (Jessica Gore) who made false rape claim sentenced

Original Article

01/29/2014

By Amy Woodland

A woman claimed she had been raped to cover up an affair, a court has heard.

Jessica Gore, 32, of Curtis Road in Ashford has been given an eight month suspended prison sentence after she falsely claimed she had been raped in September last year.

Gore reported the sexual assault to police on September 24.

She said a man had come up behind her in an alleyway near Curtis Road when she was on her way back from babysitting.

At the time of the claims detectives in Ashford were investigating a series of sexual assaults in the area.

Detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate took on the investigation after a description of the man given by Gore resembled an efit image issued by police.

Enquiries revealed, however, that Gore had been seeing another man and the claim of rape had been made up as an excuse to her husband for her returning home late.

A week after the complaint was made. Gore was charged with perverting the course of justice and at Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday Judge Heather Norton sentenced Gore to an eight-month suspended prison sentence.

After the conclusion of the case Detective Inspector Richard Vickery said: "Kent Police takes very seriously all reports of rape and sexual assault and all are fully investigated by experienced detectives."

"In this case, the allegation of rape proved to be untrue but was not admitted until after extensive enquiries had been carried out by detectives at a time when there was understandable public concern about a number of earlier assaults being carried out in the Ashford area."

"I would echo the comments made by Judge Norton in court that this is a very serious type of offence and by its very means strikes fear into the hearts of women, undermining actual victims. Gore had lied to family, friends and the police and her deception was uncovered by the police investigation and not her own admission."

TN - Innocent man has record wiped clean after 31 years in prison

Original Article

01/27/2014

By Dennis Ferrier

NASHVILLE (WSMV) - An innocent man imprisoned for 31 years, who has been trying to get his record cleared since he was released four years ago, finally got his day in court Monday and is now a man without a criminal record.

_____ had been falsely accused of rape and burglary in 1977 in Memphis.

DNA evidence showed he was never on the scene and had nothing to do with the crime, and 31 years into the sentence, the district attorney and judge released him from custody.

But getting his record wiped clean had been a much more difficult struggle.

The Memphis district attorney had _____'s record expunged on Monday.

_____ and his wife, _____, have been waiting for this day for years. It was such big news that people from Immanuel Baptist Church in Lebanon left work just to come and congratulate him.

"It was done in 15 seconds. Thirty-five years of wrongfully labeling this man was undone in 15 seconds. There really is a sermon there. It was very emotional. It's like a family member's been freed," said the Rev. John Hunn of Immanuel Baptist Church.

_____ attends Bible study five days a week and can now go on a mission trip with Immanuel Baptist Church that before he could only dream about.

Plus, he can now vote again.

"He has had a hard life," _____ said. "He just went through everything and then he couldn't get a job. My children think there is nothing like him. They call him 'Pops.' I never thought I'd meet anybody like him. He is just different. I like to think God saved him just for me."

_____ first walked into Immanuel Baptist Church on a Wednesday night, and things really changed after that. Hunn got him a job at Lifeway Christian Resources, everyone learned his story and witnessed his grace and, now, they see his triumph.

"You got to walk and put God in your heart. You put love in your heart, God can turn bad into good," _____ said.

CO - Woman (Katherine Bennett) who falsely accused Windsor man of kidnapping, sex assault appears in Weld court

Katherine Bennett

Original Article

01/22/2014

The court case involving a woman who last year falsely accused a Windsor man of luring her to the Safeway parking lot along Main Street, kidnapping her at knife point and sexually assaulting her, will last for at least another two months.

A judge on Wednesday granted Katherine Bennett, 20, a two-month continuance so her attorney can further evaluate the evidence in the case, including a number of unspecified medical records.

The judge also allowed Bennett, who appeared on bond, to return to Illinois so she can be with her family and continue an undisclosed form of therapy.

Bennett, flanked by family and her attorney, declined to comment about the case outside of the courtroom.

Fort Collins authorities arrested Bennett on Dec. 10 regarding a Windsor police warrant. The woman told officers that _____ had kidnapped her from the Windsor Safeway parking lot in November, held her at knife point, took her to his home and raped her before agreeing to let her go the following morning.

Those allegations were proven untrue, according to an arrest affidavit. As a result of the false statements, _____ was arrested and jailed and has suffered great personal hardship and embarrassment, police said.

_____, who has been cleared of any wrongdoing, previously said he planned on suing Bennett and added that he lost his job at OtterBox in Fort Collins as a result of the allegations.

Bennett previously asked for her $20,000 bond to be reduced and said she had no prior criminal history or even a speeding ticket. A judge denied that request and she has since paid the bond.

Bennett is charged with attempting to influence a public servant. She remains free on bond, and her next court appearance is scheduled for March 28.

ND - Falsely accused of rape?

Caleb Warner

Original Article (Video Available)

10/31/2013

By Timothy Bella

For Caleb Warner, weekends still revolve around sports and hanging out with his friends. But life hasn't been so carefree in the four years since he met a young woman.

“We met at a party,” Warner told America Tonight. “And, I don’t know, we just kinda made eye contact. And, you know, one thing led to another.”

On Dec. 13, 2009, Warner, then a junior at the University of North Dakota, attended a party thrown by his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta. There, he met a freshman who caught his eye. They played beer pong in the basement of the fraternity house, later making out. Soon after that, they would head into a side room to have sex. When they were done, Warner says they exchanged numbers and went their separate ways.

“I liked her,” Warner said. “She was, she was fun. She was a fun person to hang out with.”

Warner said he and the freshman were “sexting,” and that both of them were keen on hooking up again. Later in the week, she came over to his house off campus to watch a movie. After they started kissing, Warner says they went up to his room and had sex. Holding her in his arms, the freshman suggested to Warner about the idea of him being her boyfriend. He told her he wasn't sure, but enjoyed hanging out with her.

The next morning, they had sex again before Warner drove her home. He said he received a text later on from the freshman. “Don’t ever talk to me again.”

After the holiday break, an administrator pulled Warner out of class. To Warner’s surprise, he was asked about that night in mid-December, the night he watched a movie with his new freshman friend. After learning why he was pulled out of class, Warner called his mother.

“When he told me what he had been accused of, I felt like somebody hit me in the stomach,” said his mother, Sherry.

According to the incident report, the young woman filed a sexual assault charge with the university against Warner. The report stated that she requested a rape kit from a local hospital.

“That night, I was sexually assaulted by someone I thought was a friend,” she said in the statement. “The experience was brutal and being completely sober, and knowing what exactly happened made it worse.”

Two weeks later, Warner faced a disciplinary hearing on campus, which would ultimately decide his fate. He had a lawyer, but Warner said the attorney was not allowed to speak. He said he wasn't allowed to question his accuser. During one point of the accuser’s story, she ran out of the room crying.

“I knew she was lying,” Warner said. “I mean, everything she said, it just wasn't true and it was opposite of what had actually happened.”

Read the rest of the article

UK - Man wrongly accused of being pedophile burned alive

Stephen Norley & Lee James

Original Article

This is more proof of why the online hit-list (registry) should be taken offline and used by police only!

10/28/2013

BRISTOL - A man wrongly accused of being a pedophile was beaten unconscious, set on fire, and killed by two neighborhood "vigilantes."

Investigators say the brutal violence in the Bristol, England neighborhood appears to be the result of a vicious rumor mill and a misguided police investigation.

According to the Daily Mail, 44-year-old _____ was arrested in July after being accused of taking "inappropriate" images of neighborhood children.

But after an investigation, police determined that _____ was actually taking pictures of kids he suspected of vandalizing his prized garden.

Despite being released by police with no charges, the Daily Mail reports that two neighborhood men decided to enact their own justice against the disabled _____.

Just two days after his release, _____ was viciously beaten by two 24-year-olds. The two suspects then dragged the unconscious _____ outside, where they set him on fire and killed him.

One of the attackers has pleaded guilty to murder, while the other has admitted his role in helping in on the attack. Both are awaiting sentencing.

Investigators say there was no evidence that _____ was doing anything wrong and was ultimately the victim of viscous rumors and misguided hostility.

See Also:

• Man accused of being paedophile and murdered for photographing garden vandals

IL - Man freed in rape case mistakenly arrested for not registering as sex offender

Original Article

If he was exonerated, then isn't the crime in which he was accused of off his record? If so, why did the police think he was unregistered when he didn't need to in the first place?

10/28/2013

By Cynthia Dizikes

A man who was exonerated last month in an alleged 2002 rape at the Daley Center was briefly jailed Sunday because police thought he was an unregistered sex offender, according to his lawyer.

Russell Ainsworth, who represented _____ in his wrongful conviction case, said the Berwyn Police Department held _____ for about two hours, until Ainsworth was able to get to the station and provide documents proving the conviction had been thrown out.

"He is not required to register as a sex offender because he is not a sex offender," Ainsworth said.

It was not clear Sunday why _____'s name shows up on the Illinois sex offender registry website. His status was listed as noncompliant for failing "to maintain accurate registration records as required by law."

The registry is maintained by the Illinois State Police. Spokeswoman Monique Bond said she could not immediately comment on the specifics of the case. Berwyn Police Cmdr. Joe Santangelo said the arrest was made as part of a routine sex offender compliance check. He said he planned to review the arrest Monday but believed the situation involved a records glitch.

_____'s sister, _____, said her brother and she were getting ready for church when Berwyn police officers knocked on her door a little before 8 a.m. _____, who spent years trying to prove her brother's innocence, said the police told her they were looking for _____.

"When I opened the door, they busted past me and then walked through the home to the kitchen," _____ said. "(My brother) just had on his pajama pants drinking his coffee, and they had him in handcuffs."

She said she tried to explain to the police that her brother's conviction had been vacated and that she had the paperwork to prove it, but they arrested him anyway.

_____, 58, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for an alleged May 2002 rape of a county employee at the Daley Center. But last month, Cook County prosecutors made the stunning announcement that they doubted the credibility of the woman who brought the allegations against _____ and no longer believed the sexual assault even took place.

_____, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has a low IQ, was released from prison Sept. 10 after 11 years in custody. Since that time, _____ has been living with his sister and her daughter in west suburban Berwyn.

Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office, said Berwyn police contacted the office about _____'s case after they arrested him Sunday.

The state's attorney's office told police that _____'s conviction had been vacated and that he was not required to register as a sex offender, said Daly, who added that she did not know how _____'s name ended up on the site. The state's attorney's office is not required to notify state police of exonerations, she said.
- And that is a problem that needs to be fixed!

"He shouldn't have been on the (sex offender) website," Daly said.

Ainsworth said the Berwyn Police Department told him that _____ had been caught up in a sex offender sweep because he showed up as unregistered.

Police released _____ around 10 a.m. and notified all Berwyn police officers of the situation, Ainsworth said.

_____ said that since her brother's release, they have been trying to adjust to his life at home and his medication schedule and that the arrest Sunday did not help.

"We didn't think that every time we turned around and opened our door, there were going to be police there," _____ said. "I mean, come on, when is it going to be over?"

See Also:

• Exonerated man's name pulled from sex offender website (Video Below)

UK - Young mother (Ashleigh Loder) jailed for making two false rape claims within hours after getting drunk and sleeping with friend's partner

Ashleigh Loder

Original Article

10/27/2013

By MIA DE GRAAF

A young mother has been jailed after she made two different false reports of rape within hours after drunkenly sleeping with her friend's partner.

The man only proved his innocence because he filmed the sexual encounter on his mobile phone and the footage showed she was a willing and active participant.

Ashleigh Loder, 25, wasted at least 100 hours of police time and subjected the man, who has not been named, to police questioning after inventing the two attacks in Bideford, North Devon.

She first contacted police - drunk on vodka - saying she had been dragged to the ground and raped in an alleyway by two strangers.

But when forensic tests seemed to disprove the story, she fabricated a new one - accusing a man of date raping her at home.

A friend of the man's partner, Loder admitted she fabricated a story fearing the consequences of sleeping with him.

She spread her claims about him around Bideford and he was forced to stay inside, becoming a recluse for two weeks to avoid reprisals, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Loder, of Bideford, admitted perverting the course of justice and was jailed for six months by Judge Phillip Wassall.

He told her: 'The man was branded a rapist locally and it caused him considerable distress and suffered threats within the local area and lost time off work.'

'One can only imagine what it is like to be accused of a very serious crime which could carry a sentence of around six years.'

'There are some offences so serious that the court has no option other than immediate custody.'

'There must be a clear message to anyone who invents a serious allegation, particularly one such as this which carries such a stigma.'

Jonathan Barnes, prosecuting, said Loder called the police on the night of December 1 last year and initially claimed to have been raped in an alley near her home as she left for a night out.

But after changing her account of events, her friend's partner was forced to take time off work for police questioning.

He proved his innocence with images of their affair and a text Loder had sent him claiming to have been raped in an alley.

Mr Barnes said: 'The allegations had a considerable effect on him. They were bandied about the area and he had to live like a recluse for two weeks. He lost two stone of weight through the stress and had problems sleeping.'

Greg Richardson, defending, said: 'Her life was a complete dream and she convinced herself she had been raped. Who knows what was going on in her mind but she believed something within her had said no.'

'She says the situation she got into was rock bottom. She wishes to apologise sincerely to the man.'

"Scenes of a Crime" Trailer

Scenes of a Crime

Documentary Description:
“SCENES OF A CRIME” explores a nearly 10-hour interrogation that culminates in a disputed confession, and an intense, high-profile child murder trial in New York state.

The film won an IFP Gotham Independent Film Award (“Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You”), won the Grand Jury Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC in the “Viewfinders” section in November.

Police video-recordings allow directors Blue Hadaegh and Grover Babcock to unravel the complicated psychological dynamic between detectives and their suspect during a long interrogation.

Detectives, prosecutors, witnesses, jurors and the suspect himself offer conflicting accounts of exactly what happened in this mysterious and disturbing true-crime documentary.

UK - (Kirsty Debanks) I'm sorry for my rape lie

Kirsty Debanks

Original Article

10/21/2013

By Ben Wilkinson

A woman jailed for making a false rape claim says the lie cost her “everyone’s respect”.

Kirsty Debanks said she was in a “bad place” when she made the allegation against her boyfriend and regretted it instantly.

The 21-year-old – who alleged _____ raped her in her home last July – urged women not to make the mistakes she did.

A council sexual abuse boss last night said false allegations can put off genuine rape victims from going to police.

After the claim, Mr _____ was arrested, interviewed and held for about six hours.

He declined to comment to the Oxford Mail last night. Debanks admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice at Oxford Crown Court in April.

Judge Ian Pringle was told friends inflicted fake injuries like scratches on her back after the group drank heavily and took crack cocaine.

But Mr _____’s alibi, that he was begging in George Street, Oxford, was confirmed by CCTV and she called police to confess on July 31. She told officers she wanted her ex-partner to “pay for everything he had done to her family”.

Sentencing her in May, the judge told her the “utter lie” had undermined real victims of rape.

Debanks – released in August from an eight months prison sentence – said: “I said it and I wanted to retract it straight away.”

“But I was too scared to because I knew it was a serious allegation. Once I said it, it was like I had to carry it through.”

The Wood Farm resident said she fell into depression after her grandfather and father passed away within months of each other.

She said: “I regret what I did and I wouldn’t advise other girls to do what I did. I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing. If I wasn’t in a bad place I would never have said it.”

She added: “I lost everyone’s respect. I didn’t really care about my friends, but my family – that hurt me. It woke me up. I am working to get it back to this day.”

“There are days when I don’t want to go out of the house because I am ashamed.”

Debanks – whose two children with Mr _____ have been taken into care – lost grandfather _____ in February 2012 and dad _____ to cancer that May.

Then her uncle, _____, was killed when he cut into an empty oil drum which exploded in College Way, Horspath, last July 27. Debanks says she suffers from depression and a multiple personality disorder.

Mother _____ said: “She has openly admitted what she said was wrong and she has apologised from the start.”

Oxford City Council domestic and sexual abuse co-ordinator Liz Jones said women who make false claims should be “ashamed”.

She said: “We struggle to get these crimes through court. When real allegations come forward they are undermined by the false ones.”

Some false claims are the result of people with mental health problems or traumatic experiences, she said.

Det Supt Nora Holford, head of Thames Valley Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People unit, said: “We treat every allegation of rape seriously and will always investigate every allegation fully.”

“On rare occasions, some allegations do turn out to be unfounded.”

The force said figures on false allegations were not available.

See Also:

• Woman jailed for false rape claim

INDIA - Girls lodge false cases to escape parents’ scolding

Original Article

10/18/2013

A city court has expressed concerns over the growing trend of girls fabricating false rape cases despite having eloped voluntarily with their lovers.

Acquitting a man of raping a woman by deceitfully making her believe that she is his legally wedded wife, the court said girls voluntarily elope with their lovers but to escape their parents’ scolding they lodge false cases.

“They (girls) voluntarily elope with their lovers to explore the greener pastures of bodily pleasure and on return to their homes, they conveniently fabricate the story of kidnap and rape in order to escape harsh treatment by parents. These cases tend to trivialise the offences of rape and undermine its gravity. A girl of this age group (19-24 years), even if belonging to a rural area, cannot be believed to be not knowing how the marriage is performed or what are the essential ceremonies of a marriage,” said Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat.

The police said that in 2008, the accused in collusion with his brother, had taken photographs of the alleged victim in objectionable position with him to blackmail and pressurise her not to take any legal action against him.

When the 24-year-old woman pressurised him to fulfil his promise of marriage, he took her to Jammu on the pretext of marrying her and applied vermillion on her forehead and made her believe that she was his wife, the police said.

He maintained physical relations with her by making her believe that they were husband and wife. The accused had also assaulted the girl, the police added.

The court, however, said this kind of marriage is usually resorted to when the boy and girl are in love with each other and their respective parents are against their alliance.

“The conduct of the girl in accompanying the accused to Jammu for court marriage demonstrates that she wanted to marry the accused but her parents were against this marriage. Her longing to marry the accused appears to be only out of deep love and not on account of assurance of marriage by the accused,” the court added while acquitting the man.

The court also said that of late it has observed a trend where the girl says the boy took her to a room, applied vermillion on her forehead, put garland around her neck and declared that they are now husband and wife.

“Then they indulge in sexual intercourse with each other, with the consent of the girl and later on the girl alleges rape on the false assurance of marriage. This is a very disturbing trend. The girls in such cases are mostly in the age group of 19-24 years, thus, mature enough to understand the consequences of their acts and not so numb to get carried away with any representations of the boy," the court said.

UK - Junior doctor (Hannah Farnsworth) who lied about being dragged into hospital toilets and raped says she made up claims 'so people would take her seriously'

Hannah Farnsworth

Original Article

09/18/2013

By JAYA NARAIN

A junior doctor who claimed she was brutally raped by two men at the hospital where she worked today admitted she lied about the attacks, a medical tribunal was told.

Hannah Farnsworth, 26, alleged that she had been dragged into an office at night, threatened with a knife and injected with drugs.

The attackers were said to have tied her up with ropes, cut her with a knife and burnt her with a cigarette lighter while raping her.

But today she admitted had lied but maintained she had been the victim of two genuine attacks and had exaggerated so senior managers would take her seriously.

She told the hearing she was very distressed and upset after she was pinned down and kicked in two incidents at the hospital.

But the medic decided to 'embellish' the attacks by saying she had also been raped, sexually assaulted and also became pregnant as a result.

She said: 'The whole event was very distressing. It was a shock and I found myself more nervous, more anxious, not sleeping very well, more tearful than usual.'

'I wanted some support and to ensure I was supported I did embellish my account. I think it was a way of trying to express the distress I was feeling.'

'I didn't feel that I was entitled to feel as distressed as I did. I was worried other people might have a similar view to me, that they might feel that it was not that serious and wonder why I was not my usual self and why I was anxious and distressed.'

The medic, who qualified in 2010, added: 'I was worried that unless the attack itself had been serious that people would not take it seriously.'

The doctor, who has been in a same-sex relationship since 2005 and is expecting a baby next January, was appearing before a panel at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal in Manchester who will decide whether she is fit to continue with her career.

The hearing was told that as a result of the false complaints of rape the hospital trust launched its own investigation and spent around £10,000 to increase staff security.

The alleged incidents happened at Bassetlaw District General Hospital in Worksop, Nottinghamshire and were reported to police.

She now admits the rape allegations were false but insists she was physically attacked on two occasions, on April 1 and June 3, 2011.

She said: 'I was walking back towards the doctor's office at about 4am as it had got to a stage in the night when I was able to take a break so I was going back to the office.'

'The door had a combination lock on it and as I walked in I felt somebody's arm around my neck and shoulders and was pushed down to the ground.'

'I felt I was being held down on the ground. Somebody had pushed my head and shoulders to the ground and I felt I couldn't get away. They started kicking me.'

'I thought there must have been two [attackers]. I knew I was being held down but also being kicked to my left side, by my ribs.'

She added: 'At one point, I managed to get to my hands and knees but was quite quickly kicked back down to the floor. I felt something sharp. I felt a sharp pain in my left upper arm.'

'The kicking continued again and I did manage to get back on my hands and knees, but was kicked so that I was left facing underneath the desk to the back wall of the office. I heard the door opening and then it was quiet.'

The second alleged attack happened in the hospital car park when she was tripped and thrown to the floor before being repeatedly beaten and kicked.

When she was asked to give a full statement on July 19 after the case was passed on to the Nottinghamshire Police she retracted the allegations.

Sergeant Melanie Ball of Nottinghamshire Police, told the panel they decided not to charge the woman with wasting police time after she told them she never intended to make an official complaint.

She said: 'Fairly quickly she said she had been meaning to get in touch with us and the sexual element had not happened.'

'She maintains something happened but that she exaggerated to her colleagues. Once she said this they reported this to the police.'

She added: 'We chose not to prosecute for wasting police time.' She admits lying about the rapes but maintains certain details of the attacks did occur and denies dishonest and misleading conduct.

And she took the opportunity to apologise to former colleagues in the public gallery saying: 'I apologise for my behaviour to everybody concerned. I know it was inappropriate and I'm glad I had this opportunity to apologise in person.'

Dr Farnsworth is facing a fitness to practise hearing in Manchester where if found guilty, she could be struck off the medical register.

The hearing continues.